Passenger entertainment systems are in widespread use in public-transport vehicles such as jet aircraft. These systems include audio equipment for reproducing recorded music or other program material. The audio equipment may also be used in conjunction with visual programs presented on a film screen or television display in the passenger compartment of the vehicle.
To enable selective use of the entertainment system, individual headsets are provided to the passengers for plug-in connection to the audio output of the system. Conventional electromagnetic headsets could be used in this application for the highest quality sound reproduction, but acoustic-style headsets are sometimes preferred for economy, and for simplified cleaning and repackaging enabling re-use of the headset.
An acoustic headset does not include an electromagnetic transducer, and is instead a simple tubing system for conveying sound waves from speakers or similar transducers which are typically located in the passenger's seat. Separate sound tubes enable transmission of two-channel stereo program material, and the tubes terminate in a conventional connector which plugs into a mating receptacle in the passenger's seat.
The type of acoustic headset currently in use in the airline industry includes a generally U-shaped frame which fits under a passenger's chin and supports respective ear pieces mounted on the sound-tube ends. The sound tubes may diverge from a common connection point located approximately centrally of the frame under a listener's chin to connect with the ear pieces, or may be free of mechanical connection to the headset other than at the ear pieces. The ear pieces fit into the central waxy part of a user's ears, and are fitted with protective cushions which can be replaced before re-use of the headset.
A problem with under-the-chin acoustic headsets is that they restrict passenger movement because the ear-piece tips are easily pulled out of the listener's ears. In addition, the location of the frame and sound tubes under a listener's chin causes a general downward pull on the ear-piece tips which can irritate the sensitive part of the ear, and reduce the pleasure a passenger derives from use of the entertainment system.
The present invention overcomes these problems by providing an over-the-head style headset which includes a headband adapted to fit on and over a passenger's head, and rotatably supporting earmuff-style ear pieces. With this arrangement, the headband supports the weight of the headset to eliminate constant downward force on the ear pieces, and a removable protective cushion contacts the outer rim of the user's ear to eliminate irritation of the central part of the ear. A feature of the invention is to provide a multiple-use over-the-head style headset which can be easily assembled by snapping together economically manufactured injection-molded parts, and which can be quickly converted from an acoustic headset to a conventional electromagnetic headset if desired.